Eudora Welty by suzanne marrs

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

The critics' verdicts on this work were decidedly mixed. On one hand, they were excited to get a glimpse into the life of a writer as beloved and mysterious as Eudora Welty. Marrs, who teaches at Millsaps College in Jackson, has provided a welcome addition to the literary landscape. In part, this is because her book replaces Ann Waldron's unauthorized biography, "Eudora" (1998). However, Marrs often gets lost in the details. She records the countless specifics of Welty's social calendar but fails to uncover the true meaning of her friendships. Nevertheless, she does offer new insights into Welty's romantic relationships and adventurous spirit.

No doubt, another enterprising writer will take on the task of writing a new biography in 2021, when Welty's correspondence with her mother, currently sealed, is opened. Perhaps that next biography will add more depth and texture to the already complex life of Eudora Welty.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

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Darkon2101

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

A very comprehensive biography written by an authority on the writer and traveller. I had read a subsequent book penned by Marrs, which made use of all the correspondence between Eudora and the writer Ken Millar (Ross MacDonald), and I found it more to my liking.

Interestingly, I share the same April birthday date as her, and her birth year happens to be the same as my mother's. This has always made her a woman whom I have closely followed. Her works have had a profound impact on me, and I have been constantly inspired by her unique writing style and the depth of her stories.

Through her biographies, I have been able to gain a deeper understanding of her life, her struggles, and her achievements. It is truly fascinating to learn about the woman behind the words and to see how her experiences have shaped her into the remarkable writer that she is. I look forward to reading more about her and continuing to explore her literary legacy.

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Joricardo

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This is a comprehensive biography written by a scholar of Welty and her works.

She was granted permission by the subject herself and had access to all of her correspondence.

The author was also a good friend of Eudora Welty during the last 20 years or so of her life.

All of her fiction is thoroughly discussed, including how it was written, and when and where.

Her life in Jackson, her family, her loves, friends, awards, from childhood to youth, middle age, old age, and finally death; it's all here, just as one would expect.

However, more than that, I came away with a different perception of an author whose work I adore.

She traveled widely, knew numerous people, and lived for experiences, laughter, and having fun.

She loved two men in her life, and they loved her in return, but for various reasons, neither could be her life partner.

Her loyalty to her friends, sense of responsibility to her family, and her support for young writers trying to establish themselves took time away from her writing, yet that never seemed to matter.

She was always there when she was needed.

The fact that she lived in an era when personal correspondence was an accepted means of staying in touch was a boon to any biographer, unlike today's world of texts, tweets, and cell phones.

I'm not certain how biographers of 21st-century celebrities will manage, but I do know that Suzanne Marrs did an excellent job with the abundance of material she had to work with.

Eudora Welty was indeed one remarkable lady.

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alifib28

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I truly relished the opportunity to get to know Eudora Welty. However, I had certain concerns regarding this particular biography. At times, it展现出深刻的洞察力, but more frequently, it devolves into a mere list of the trips she took and the novels she wrote.

Suzanne Marrs, in my opinion, is perhaps too closely connected to her subject. Having been a friend of Welty for 15 years, she seems to struggle when it comes to objectively examining certain situations. For instance, in the case of Welty's decade-long emotional affair with mystery writer Ross MacDonald, Marrs reflexively absolves Welty of any wrongdoing, even going so far as to paint MacDonald's wife as a bit of a shrew in the process. As a result, Marrs creates a soft-focus portrait of Welty, and in doing so, she deprives us of much of Welty's nuanced and complex nature.

Thankfully, Welty's correspondence with her mother is set to be opened next year. This presents an exciting opportunity for a new biography of Welty to be written by a somewhat more detached writer. I would very much welcome the idea of a biographer like Blake Bailey taking on the task of chronicling Welty's long and fascinating career.

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matic12345

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

I truly love Eudora Welty.

Her works have always been a source of great inspiration and joy for me.

Loved reading her novels and short stories, which are filled with vivid characters and richly detailed settings.

Each word seems to be carefully chosen to create a world that draws the reader in and makes them feel as if they are a part of it.

Also, I have loved learning about her life and the experiences that influenced her writing.

Discovering the stories behind her works has added an extra layer of depth and appreciation for me.

Eudora Welty's talent and unique perspective on life are truly remarkable, and I will always cherish her contributions to the literary world.

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Gamorou

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

If you find yourself intrigued about Lady Belhaven, then this book is truly a must-read for you.

It delves deep into the life and times of Lady Belhaven, uncovering all the juicy details that you have always been curious about.

You know those things that you wanted to know but felt a bit strange about asking someone else? Well, this book has got you covered.

It provides a comprehensive look at her experiences, her relationships, and the events that shaped her.

Whether it's her social life, her personal struggles, or her achievements, you'll find it all within the pages of this fascinating book.

So, if you're ready to satisfy your curiosity and learn more about Lady Belhaven, don't hesitate to pick up this book and embark on an exciting journey.

You won't be disappointed.

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nic_zzz

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

A very good biography of a writer I admire has been written.

Marrs had exclusive access to all of Welty's correspondence, which enables her to vividly depict a clear picture of Welty as both a person and an artist.

The biographer is not only a Welty scholar but also a devoted friend of hers in her later years. The biography is intimate and respectful, yet it doesn't shy away from the painful episodes in her life, such as her two unrequited loves and her mother's long illness.

Other biographers had portrayed her as a homely old maid, to be pitied on some level for never having married or had kids. This clearly angered Marrs, and she is now correcting the record.

Welty had a full life, just not the one that was expected. After reading this biography, I now have a strong urge to reread Welty's novels and stories.

I am eager to explore her works again, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the writer and her creations.

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Bremoon

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Daughter, sister, aunt, friend, girlfriend, lover, writer, photographer, critic, teacher, advisor... These are just a few of the roles that Eudora Welty, a most dignified woman of the 20th century, played. She was loyal, disciplined, dedicated, supportive, funny, creative, and adventurous. Suzanne Marrs has written an exhaustive biography of Ms. Welty, which is 579 pages long excluding the forward and bibliography. Although at times it can be exhausting in its detail, it creates an intimate relationship for the reader with Ms. Welty. By the time the reader reaches the last chapter, it feels as if they are losing a very good friend.

This is not an analysis of Ms. Welty's body of work, although references to it and passages from it are included throughout the text. The author focused on "Eudora the woman," describing her routines and travels, her friendships and enmities, her encounters with love and death, and her responses to war and social change. At times, the reader feels as though they are reading Eudora's calendar. Eudora was always so busy that the reader keeps waiting to be introduced to a secretary, but one never appears. The reader learns about Eudora the professional: how she wrote, how she supported herself in the early years, and how she was honored once she became accomplished. The reader also learns about the personal Eudora: the democrat, the mystery reader, her interest in Watergate and the Iran/Contra Hearings.

Eudora's was a life well lived, and one that provided much fodder to fuel her creative spirit, whether in Mississippi or abroad. When the fiction writing muse seemed to evade her, as it did in the second half of her life, she found many other ways to fill her days. She spent time traveling, teaching, and sharing how she did what she did. While many of her friends felt that this robbed her of time she should have spent writing, it endeared her to many aspiring writers and professors of literature. Although Ms. Welty was a very private person, always sensitive to protecting the privacy of those she loved, she shared that which she felt contributed to making the world, particularly that of writers, a better place.

I am new to Eudora Welty and concluded this book with many mixed feelings. I can't believe it has taken me so long to discover her and her writing. I am glad I have finally discovered her. I want to read more of her work, both fiction and nonfiction. I also want to revisit her home in Mississippi. Ms. Marrs was fortunate to have met and become a friend of Ms. Welty, and from that friendship, she has written a book that allows all of us to claim Ms. Welty as a friend.

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